Meeting the ICT challenges of the 2010 Soccer World Cup could see significant regulatory changes and giant leaps in local technological infrastructure in the next five years.
This is the main message that emerged yesterday at the first of six planned meetings of technology industry representatives convened by Dimension Data to explore the role of ICT in hosting the World Cup.
"2010 presents a golden opportunity to show that SA is second to none and that the local ICT sector can compete with the rest of the world," sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile told the hundreds of ICT industry representatives who gathered at The Campus in Bryanston.
"Our advanced ICT capability is one of the main reasons for SA winning the bid to host the event," said Stofile. However, he said the need for collaboration between 11 government departments and meeting the immigration, Internet and cellular needs of millions of visitors would present a significant challenge.
Andile Ngcaba, Dimension Data SA chairman designate, said he was confident the ICT targets for hosting the World Cup would be met, but said providing broadband connectivity was essential to achieving that goal and would necessarily involve changes to telecommunication regulations.
Ngcaba said he would be recommending to the Independent Communications Authority of SA this week that regulations be rewritten to allow local entrepreneurs to take advantage of local loop unbundling to develop broadband initiatives. "We need a relaxation of regulations to allow for testing and piloting of new applications.
"Access to broadband is critical to the South African economy and local enterprise, as well as the successful hosting of the World Cup," said Ngcaba. He also emphasised the importance of broadband to achieving socio-economic goals, business competitiveness and foreign direct investment.
"I believe the best route to achieving the necessary level of broadband connectivity is through public and private initiatives to establish broadband fibre rings around towns and cities to connect public places. Cities are likely to play a central role in infrastructure provision."
In a breakaway session, Ngcaba sketched a scenario in which broadband connections within metropolitan areas could grow to form corridors of connectivity and eventually a national broadband network that could be used for e-health, e-education, e-commerce and IP telephony.
"By 2010, I believe we will have the necessary wireless, 3G cellular and broadband networks in place," Ngcaba told the opening session of the meeting.
Stofile urged ICT companies to begin preparing for discussions with Fifa in March in which the local organising committee to be appointed in two weeks` time will seek to find a niche for South African ICT companies to provide the required infrastructure within host cities and venues.
"ICT networks are an important component of security for the World Cup," said Stofile. "The real challenge will be ensuring that each stadium is able to provide the necessary ICT infrastructure for security, monitoring and communications."
He concluded by saying government was looking forward to the ICT sector`s input and participation.
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